On the way back after eating, they ran into an acquaintance.
Yue Qingfeng's eyes lit up when he saw the two of them. He walked over, cupping his hands in greeting, "You two, I didn't expect to meet you here again."
Mu Ran smiled, "We came back to pay respects to my parents. Why is Daoist Yue in Song City?"
Yue Qingfeng replied, "To tell you the truth, the news of the Changqing Sect's annihilation has reached Chongyang Mountain. Wang Aotian was a traitor to Chongyang Mountain. Although his debts died with him, my master still asked me to come to Song City to investigate the situation."
Mu Ran said, "I also heard about the annihilation of the Changqing Sect. I heard that everyone there died a miserable death, right, Jinzhi."
Cangshu Bai nodded, "Yes, very miserably."
Mu Ran added, "The storyteller said the one who massacred the Changqing Sect was the young master of the Tianyu Palace, a man named Li Mohan."
Cangshu Bai nodded again, "Yes, Li Mohan."
Yue Qingfeng frowned slightly, "I just arrived in Song City, and I didn't know this matter was actually related to the Tianyu Palace."
Like Chongyang Mountain, Tianyu Palace was a major sect, and its strength was not to be underestimated.
Mu Ran said, "I heard people say that the Changqing Sect practiced wicked arts. They lured ordinary people into signing life-borrowing contracts, and then sold them like goods to the wealthy. It's only natural that a sect doing so many heinous things would be wiped out."
Yue Qingfeng looked a bit embarrassed, as Wang Aotian indeed came from Chongyang Mountain. He said, "A person like Wang Aotian truly deserved to die. I will definitely investigate exactly how many evil deeds he committed against the innocent people, and then report back to the sect."
"How long does Daoist Yue plan to stay in Song City? If it's long enough, I'll hurry and finish the pager chicken you ordered from me."
Yue Qingfeng said, "I will only stay for two or three days before leaving."
"Then I'm afraid there won't be enough time."
"No matter, it's the same if I come back to pick it up later." As Yue Qingfeng was about to leave, he kindly offered a warning, "Recently, Chiyan Peak and Zhenyue Mountain City have gone to war. Everyone says that Fairy Hongfu has a treasure in her hands that is extremely convenient for finding people."
Mu Ran paused, "That treasure wouldn't have anything to do with me, would it?"
Yue Qingfeng smiled, "I'm afraid it really does. In the battle between Chiyan Peak and Zhenyue Mountain City, although Fairy Hongfu is acting as the vanguard to barely hold them off, this is not a long-term solution. It's only a matter of time before Chiyan Peak loses. It's hard to say whether the little gadget in Fairy Hongfu's hands won't be targeted by others. You had better be careful, miss."
Yue Qingfeng's Chongyang Mountain was indeed on good terms with Chiyan Peak, but its relationship with Zhenyue Mountain City wasn't bad either. Chongyang Mountain had issued orders that no disciple was allowed to interfere in the conflict between Chiyan Peak and Zhenyue Mountain City. Other sects were even less willing to meddle, so Chiyan Peak's defeat was already a foregone conclusion.
Yue Qingfeng had kindly reminded Mu Ran, and she replied, "Thank you."
Watching Yue Qingfeng's figure disappear, Mu Ran still felt a bit uneasy in her heart.
Cangshu Bai held her hand, "Don't be afraid."
Mu Ran looked up and smiled, giving a soft affirmation.
When immortals fought, ordinary commoners like them were naturally better off staying as far away as possible. But often, the more you feared something, the more likely it was to happen.
Mu Zhizhi had been kidnapped and frightened. Furthermore, Li Mohan didn't want the internal strife of the Tianyu Palace to implicate her, so he decided to let Mu Zhizhi stay at Biyun Mountain for a few more days. No matter how resourceful the First Elder of Tianyu Palace was, he wouldn't go so far as to snatch someone from Biyun Mountain.
Today was the day Li Mohan returned to Tianyu Palace.
Mu Zhizhi reluctantly saw Li Mohan off. Walking on the road back to Biyun Mountain, she was still feeling a bit depressed.
Ever since the kidnapping incident, Mu Feilin had deliberately strengthened the protection around Mu Zhizhi. Now, whenever Mu Zhizhi went out, she would have several guards and maids following behind her.
Trying to cheer Mu Zhizhi up, a maid said, "Miss, I heard that the new storyteller at the restaurant tells good stories. Why don't we go listen?"
The storyteller in the restaurant was doing nothing more than recounting how deeply in love the young master of Tianyu Palace was with his wife. The legend of Li Mohan massacring an entire sect for one person had made many girls envious of the Second Miss of Biyun Mountain.
Thinking she had nothing else to do, Mu Zhizhi nodded, "Then let's go listen."
Just as they crossed a street, Mu Zhizhi looked up and unexpectedly saw a familiar figure. She looked surprised, "It's her!"
Across the street was a small stall selling sugar figures.
Mu Ran was bent over, earnestly watching the sugar figure master paint on the board. When a sugar figure resembling a young gentleman appeared, she happily took it and held it up to show the young man beside her, a bright smile on her face.
Who knows what she said, but the young man leaned in to listen, his eyes and brows gentle.
Someone from Biyun Mountain also recognized her, "Isn't that the Eldest... ahem, isn't that useless Mu Ran?"
Ever since Mu Ran was expelled from Biyun Mountain, the people of Biyun Mountain were no longer allowed to call her Eldest Miss.
Mu Zhizhi looked the man up and down and let out a laugh, "Back then, she absolutely refused to marry into Tianyu Palace. I thought she was truly proud and arrogant, and I could have respected her for that. But in the end, she just found a man who doesn't even have a spirit root. How ridiculous."
As a lady of Biyun Mountain, she was supposed to be noble and composed. Looking across the whole world, what cultivator would choose an ordinary person as their Dao companion?
Someone said, "She lost her cultivation and surely couldn't find a way to make a living, so she could only find any random man to rely on."
Another chimed in, "That's right. No matter what, she still has some good looks."
Mu Zhizhi frowned.
She kept herself pure and couldn't stand women who sold their bodies for gain.
Back then, Mu Ran looked so principled, refusing to marry a comatose man even if it killed her. Who would have thought that in the end, she would stoop so low? The strength of character she displayed back then was nothing but a joke.
Mu Zhizhi disdained to look at Mu Ran any longer and turned away.
She returned to Biyun Mountain and happened to meet her father, who had just finished his official duties.
Mu Feilin asked with concern, "Did you see our son-in-law off?"
Mu Zhizhi nodded.
Mu Feilin patted Mu Zhizhi's head and said affectionately, "Zhizhi, your husband was just worried about you, which is why he left you at Biyun Mountain. Once he handles the affairs of Tianyu Palace and takes control of it, he will naturally bring you back to live a good life."
Thinking back to those days, Mu Feilin was also unwilling to let Mu Zhizhi marry Li Mohan. What parents in the world would be willing to let their beautiful daughter marry a comatose cripple?
But forced by circumstances, in order not to anger Tianyu Palace and for the long-term development of Biyun Mountain, he could only watch as Mu Zhizhi married into Tianyu Palace.
